Political Quotes

“I also take to the floor to talk about healthcare. I appreciate my colleagues who are here, earnestly pleading with all of our colleagues to be about a process--Democrats and Republicans and the committee process that we have in the Senate--that does the work that we are supposed to be doing, which is listening to the American public and improving our healthcare system. Let me tell you about my first meeting of the day. It was an amazing one. I had a mom, Rebecca, and her 5-year-old daughter, Charlie, in my office. They had asked for the opportunity to meet with me to talk about healthcare. Here is their story. Charlie is just about 5 years old. She starts kindergarten in the Charlottesville public schools in September. She was born at 26 weeks, or about 14 weeks early. She weighed 1 pound and 11 ounces at birth. She went through the NICU and had great care. When she was released to go home, the doctors thought she would be fine, but within a couple of months, it was pretty clear that she had some significant challenges as she has the diagnosis of cerebral palsy, and she gets 80 percent of her food through a feeding tube. This family has many, many needs. Charlie, from a cognitive standpoint, is very, very sharp and is excited about starting school, but she has significant needs. Her mother Rebecca said that Charlie is like the case study for why a repeal of the ACA would be a disaster. Charlie has a preexisting condition because of the CP and her challenges.…”